100 BULLETIN : MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY. 



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Crotophaga sulcirostris Swains. 



Groove-billed Ani. 



Crotophaga sulcirostris Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 546 (San Jose del 

 Cabo ; breeding; descr. nest). Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad Sci., 2d ser., II. 

 1889, 285 (San Jose' del Cabo) ; Zoe, II. 1891, 191, 192 (San Jose del Cabo). 

 Bendire, Life Hist. N. Amer Birds, pt. II. 1895, 13, pi. 1, fig. 7 (descr. egg 

 from near San Jose' del Cabo, " an unscratched specimen "). 



Mr. Frazar met with the Groove-billed Ani only at San Jo.se del Cabo, 

 where a flock of about thirty frequented some thick brush about pools of water 

 near the mouth of the river. On August 28 a nest, empty, but apparently 

 just finished, was found, and a perfect egg was taken from a female bird shot 

 near at hand, and probably the owner of this nest. On September 3 another 

 nest, containing three fresh eggs, was taken. These dates indicate either a very 

 extended breeding season or great irregularity of breeding in dili'erent years, 

 for at the same place in 1882 Mr. Belding found a nest which contained eight 

 eggs on April 29. The latter observer also met with Groove-billed Anis 

 " among tules at Santiago and at San Pedro on the western coast near Todos 

 Santos," according to Mr. Bryant. 



The nest found by Mr. Belding " was fastened to upright reeds, and was 

 composed of coarse weed stalks and mesquit twigs, lined with green leaves." 

 That taken by Mr. Fi'azar was in a willow aVjout twenty feet above the 

 ground. It is a flat, loose, but withal rather neat structure, formed outwardly 

 of dead twigs and very substantially lined with cottonwood and willow leaves, 

 which look as if they must have been dry when gathered. Mr. Frazar is very 

 sure that such was the case, although he has no distinct recollection of their 

 condition at the time the nest was found. This nest measures about six 

 inches across the top, and the cavity is nearly an inch in depth. The eggs 

 measure respectively : 1.22 X .95, 1.24 X .98 and 1.25 X .97. They are ver- 

 diter blue, but this color becomes visible only on scraping off the whitish, 

 calcareous substance with which their shells are uniformly and rather thickly 

 covered. One side of each egg is stained with light reddish brown, evidently 

 from contact with something in the nest. The egg already referred to as taken 

 from the oviduct of a bird shot on August 23 is without any trace of this stain, 

 but it has a calcareous coating like the others. It measures 1.25 X -98. 



The Groove-billed Ani also inhabits the valley of the Lower Rio Grande in 

 Texas as well as Mexico, Central America and northern South America. As 

 it is not known to occur in central or northern Lower California, it seems 

 probable that the colonies which have become established in the Cape Region 

 were originated by birds which came from western Mexico. 



